More In Your Life

Winning woodwork

Posted: Jun. 22, 2012 3:02 am Updated: Jul. 27, 2012 1:00 pm

By JESSICA MASULLI REYES

jmasulli@njherald.com

LAFAYETTE -- From the hand-carved claw and ball feet to the clam shell detailing, Josh Harr's highboy dresser took nearly 600 hours to complete, but when judges placed a blue and gold ribbon on it, the extra nights and weekends paid off.

Harr, 17, of Newton, has worked tirelessly at Lakeland Andover School's woodshop to construct this elaborate dresser that won him first place in the furniture-making category at the North Jersey Student Craftsman's Fair. After the other students had gone home each night, Harr would stay at school to see his project through to the end.

"The more you see the project come together, the more excited you get about it," Harr said. "Then, when you meet that goal, it is well worth it."

Harr competed in May against 25 other middle and high schools at the Ledgewood Mall exhibit. The North Jersey Student Craftsman's Fair covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

Harr's classmate, Robert Cupo, 13, won the Crafts Endowment Award for his wood, carved checker-and-chess playing board. Both students were acknowledged for their achievements at the 2012 awards dinner at Passaic County Technical Institute this month.

"To see my project there and to see that it stood out, I was proud," Harr said. "It was the biggest challenge I've done."

Lakeland Andover School in Lafayette is a private, non-profit school that provides educational programs for middle and high school students with emotional and behavioral issues. These students often improve in a learning environment that meets their individual needs and focuses on small class sizes.

The school's woodshop, run by teacher Jack Wyman, focuses on helping students like Harr and Cupo excel and complete select projects. He worked closely with Harr to teach him each of the skills that goes into making a dresser throughout the entire school year.

"Josh, being an upperclassman, I picked a

project he can do," Wyman said. "It's about the student having a goal to get done in a specific time frame."

Throughout the year, different projects are picked and get increasingly more difficult if the student is ready, but the key is always to reach a goal.

"The woodworking skill is just icing on the cake," he said. "You can do anything with a 16- or 17-year-old student if they want to do it."

Cupo, of Hopatcong, who is shy, has slowly come out of his shell and excelled in the woodshop. His wood chessboard opens into a storage space where cards and chess pieces can be easily stored.

"It is kinda (difficult to make a chessboard) because I was working on two projects at once," Cupo explained.

Cupo and other classmates also made large table hockey game boards that they were able to take home, but Cupo has offered to keep his at the school for students to use. Students have also made plant stands, lamps and other furniture pieces.

Both students have "really taken to the woodshop," according to classroom aide Rick Drobney. Harr, who will be a senior next year, said the he likes woodshop because he doesn't have to be at a desk.

"Anything hands-on, I'm good with," he explained.

Cupo agreed: "It gives me something to do."

Harr plans to attend Newton High School for his academic classes next year, but he will return to Lakeland-Andover School for his shop classes. He will likely complete another large-scale woodshop project, but he will also focus on the mechanic shop since he hopes to work as a mechanic for a high-end car dealership some day.

Cupo will continue at Lakeland Andover School next year and plans to make a television stand.

As for Harr's new dresser, he plans to take it home to use it, but it is being transported piece-by-piece due to its large size.